ADRA Philippines Country Director, Tom Pignon, at far left nearest to door, lays out emergency response plans with his team before they deploy [photo credit: ADRA Philippines]

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) office in the Philippines has deployed an emergency response team to assess the situation and provide aid to some of the communities most affected by Super Typhoon Mangkhut, known locally as Ompong.

The powerful typhoon, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, made landfall in the northern island of Luzon on Saturday, September 15, and affected more than 4.6 million people, forcing more than 51,000 people into evacuation shelters, according to the Philippine’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Initial reports set the number of deaths at 14.

“This storm is the strongest the Philippines has experienced this year and by far the most devastating since Typhoon Haiyan struck five years ago,” says Tom Pignon, country director for ADRA Philippines. “The high winds tore off roofs and the heavy rains triggered many landslides. In some communities, nearly all buildings sustained some damage.”

The 560-mile wide super typhoon also triggered flood watches in many areas. Meanwhile, local authorities are also conducting search and rescue operations to find survivors as they clear toppled trees, electrical posts, and debris.

“We cannot underestimate the impact of this typhoon,” adds Mario Oliveira, director for emergency management at ADRA International. “It was brutal and left a lot of families in need of immediate help. As we have seen in the past, storms of this magnitude can devastate entire communities and cause havoc. This is why it’s key that we now move quickly to assess the needs, coordinate with authorities, and deliver aid to those in need.”

ADRA’s response team traveled to Tuguegarao City, the capital of Cagayan province, to coordinate with the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide initial assessments in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan, which suffered the brunt of the devastation. The team plans to hold further assessment meetings with the OCD and other humanitarian agencies to better coordinate the response in the areas most heavily impacted.

Shelter kits are being prepared and ready to be distributed by ADRA Philippines as part of its emergency relief efforts, but more aid is likely as the scope of the devastation and the needs become clearer.

Super Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong) has slightly weakened according to the Philippines Atmospheric, Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and has left the Philippines. The typhoon is now projected to move northwest with maximum sustained winds of 99 mph heading toward southern China.

According to the UN’s 2017 World Risk Index, the Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to disasters, ranking third in the index. Each year, an average of 20 tropical cyclones strike the country, killing hundreds of people leaving millions highly vulnerable and in poverty. Mangkhut (Ompong) was the Philippines 15th tropical cyclone for 2018.

In the US, ADRA is also responding to Hurricane Florence in partnership with Adventist Community Services (ACS), Partners for Humanity (P4H), and Latter-Day Charities (LDS) to provide funding, and manage in-kind donations.